Who’s helping? Who’s hurting?

For too many reasons to count, nobody cares (except, maybe, Derek Jeter). It’s March 5. The games don’t count. The only important thing is that he’s showing he’s healthy, and he’s doing that. History says the hits will come, and that they’ll come in bunches if he continues to show that last point, and that should be good enough for all parties involved.

The point is, for a guy like Jeter — and so many others wearing the pinstripes in Tampa — the month of March and spring training is about just one thing: Feeling good. Games like last night’s against Baltimore or today’s against Tampa, they obviously don’t mean much to guys like Jeter and Brian McCann and Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran and Brett Gardner. Their jobs are secure.

But even spring training games in the first week of March matter to guys like Russ Canzler, Yangervis Solarte and Dean Anna. THey mean everything. They’re the guys fighting for spots on the big league roster, and clearly the only way to get one of those is to get on the field, to play well when they’re out there and to take advantage of opportunities.

Some will. Some won’t. And even just a week’s worth of games into a spring training, it’s not too early to check in on who is hurting their cause for big league employment, and who is helping.

Who’s helping?

INF Yangervis Solarte
I’m not sure how the guy can do any better. Literally, I guess he could have gotten hits the two times he went to the plate and made outs. But Solarte is 7 for 9, has two homers, has played a bunch of positions, including left field last night, and is doing all that the Yankees ask him to do. He has made an error in the field, but he has also made a spectacular play. If the season started tomorrow, you’d have to think Solarte makes the team. There is a lot of time to go, but clearly, the pressure is on Eduardo Nunez and Dean Anna and everyone else chasing that final spot in the infield.

INF Dean Anna
He has shown, in a very brief amount of playing time, exactly what the scouts thought he was. Patient hitter. Goes to the plate with a good approach. Picks up some singles and doubles. Can play any position in the infield that you’d need him to play, if you’re the Yankees. He has struck out four times in 10 at-bats, which isn’t good. But he has been solid, all around, and that’s what the Yankees are looking for in that spot. If it comes down to Anna and Solarte for that final roster spot in the infield, I’d think Solarte would really have to outplay him over the course of a month, because Anna is on the 40.

C John Ryan Murphy
I wrote in my breakdown of the catcher position last week that this could get very interesting if Francisco Cervelli played well this spring. And guess what: Cervelli is playing out of his mind. Again, if the season started tomorrow, you’d expect the Yankees to keep Cervelli on as the backup catcher, and let the minor league people handle finding playing time for both Austin Romine and Murphy. The great news for Murphy is that, after Cervelli, he is the backup candidate who has played the best this spring. He’s 2 for 7 with a homer and four RBIs, and the Yankees love the progress he is making behind the plate with the glove and handling the staff. I’m not certain the Yankees will base their minor league catching situation (because it’s such a good one) on anything that happens in April. But human nature does come into play, and if it comes down to a time split in Triple-A between the two, the Yankees might want to see a bit more of Murphy if he continues to progress as he has. And hey, if he plays well this spring and another team wants to make a trade for a catcher, Murphy might get to the big leagues that way, too.

RP Chris Leroux
I thought the Leroux signing in January would be nothing more than a good one for the RailRiders, because I’ve seen him pitch quite a bit and know he’s a solid arm. But there are some scouts and player-development types I speak to on a semi-regular basis who insist Leroux can make the big club. One of them was former Red Barons Gary Ruby — the longtime pitching coach who is now working with the top prospects in the pitching-loaded Astros system, not to mention the father of the RailRiders’ Executive Vice President/General Manager Jeremy Ruby — who coached Leroux in winter ball and raved about his stuff. Leroux has pitched four innings this spring and allowed one hit. I still don’t think he opens the season with the Yankees, because at some point, if Dellin Betances pitches well you owe him a shot. But Leroux could easily turn himself into a factor down the road.

RP Dellin Betances
…And Betances really is pitching well. In 3 2/3 innings, he has allowed one hit and one walk while striking out two. To me, he was probably the RailRiders’ best player last year, and if he keeps pounding the strike zone this spring, he’s going to get a look.

RP Cesar Cabral
Like Betances, there’s probably a spot for him in New York if he pitches well this spring, and at least so far, he has. In 3 1/3 innings, he has allowed a hit, walked a batter and stuck out three. The Yankees would probably like to have a second lefty to get some tough outs in the sixth and seventh, and since he’s the only other one in camp who has done the job…

Who’s hurting?

1B Russ Canzler
To be honest, nobody is really hurting their chances too much at this point, because the Yankees aren’t going to judge anyone on just a few at-bats. But Canzler is a guy you can see needing to get off to a hot start to convince the Yankees that the final bench spot should go to a right-handed hitter with some pop who can’t help out at second base. Canzler has a couple hits, but he has also struck out four times. Which wouldn’t be that big a deal if Solarte and Anna weren’t playing better.

3B Zelous Wheeler
Wheeler is like Canzler, in a way, in that they were the darkhorses among the darkhorses. They were going to have to play lights out to get noticed, and Wheeler is 1 for 10. Both are solid players who are going to play themselves into the conversation at Triple-A, you’d think, But to make the team out of camp, they were going to have to make themselves big stories, the way Jon Weber did in 2010, or Vidal Nuno last year. They haven’t done that, so far.

RP Chase Whitley
Whitley has gotten hit around a bit this spring, taking the loss in two of his three outings. He has allowed six runs in three innings, but even worse, he has allowed six hits and three walks. He is a much better pitcher than he has looked so far, no question. Clearly, the Yankees are not going to take three spring training outings from Whitley (a slower starter, in the past) and deduce from those that he’s a bum. But if you’re looking at the opening day roster, this start is going to be a big hurdle to leap, especially when others ahead of him to start with are pitching well.

Baseball isn't limited to box scores and game stories, and neither is baseball news. Stay in the know with insight, breaking news and other RailRiders nuggets from Times-Tribune beat writer Donnie Collins. He'll check in regularly with transactions, game-day information and more than a few opinions.